[Book] The Reef Thanes

[Svartalfar]

As Home of the Nords creeps closer and closer to the Sea of Ghosts, the need for lore about it will increase. Here some lore about northern pirats and reavers.

Tales of the Sea of Ghosts VII: the Reef Thanes
By Ania Kaarnsen
During my service in the Census, I had my fair share of skirmishes with the pirats plaguing Skyrim shores and running along the sea routes. The worst of them being the Reef Thanes.

As laudatory as it sounds, this title only describes a speckling of self-important pirat 'lords' and reavers, surviving on frozen islets by raiding fisher communities, harassing ships and poaching horkers and seals. Neither allies nor enemies, those wretched crews form most of the time a loose confederacy of nuisances. This is why most sailors fancy the name 'Reef Rafts' when they spot those desesperate crews.
Despite their conditions, they are a tenacious bunch and can be dangerous, as they can read the sea better than a seer your hand lines.

The most famous Reef Thane of our era was without a doubt Metten Snowflake-Wave, Reef Thane of the Dreugh-head Archipelago. The resistance she put up against Commodore Fenrar ap'Ergnir for two whole years even earned her the respect of the Throne. When she was finally captured in 3E 302 and her fief razed to the ground, the islet where the new imperial fort was erected was officially named after her.


To this days some of those 'thanes' still roam on the Sea of Ghosts. The more fearsome (and cornerstones of this confederacy) are described below:

Ulrar Frozen-Gills, who seized in 407 the Tower of Frost, a remanite placemark on the route to Atmora. Using wreckages and floatsams to strengthen his fief, Ulrar transformed this icinged stonepile into an impregnable fortress battered by the mercyless northern winds.

Erikr Greybeard is a tall Nord born in Atmora (according to him). He is the thane of Orkey's Tooth. This reef was already one of the greatest perils of the northeastern sea route but because of Erirk's flottilla, its threat is even greater. While now quite old and glued to his reef like a barnacle, Erikr once was a fearless seafarer and his aura is still strong among pirats.

Ellina Black Abbess, Mother superior of the Coven of the Tide, some kind of Fryse Hags acting as pirats. Their coven is, according to folktales, a humongus chunk of ice floating on the ocean. Supersticious lot believes they move it thanks to their mastery of waves and climate.

Kjarne the Howler, the scourge of Solitude, was a loyal retainer of King Bedyctor of Jehanna, With his galeasse, the 'Queen Potema', he fought dozens of times against Queen Hamia's fleet during the Bend'r-mahk War. His side defeated, Kjarne sworn to pursue the fight, alone if necessary.
Captured in 419 while raiding a fleet coursing between Solitude and Roscrea, he managed to escape soon after. He still lurks near Solitude, probably hiding somewhere along the Druadach shoreline.